Millipede
Trigoniulus corallinus on Oahu (Hawaii)
The millipedes ( Diplopoda ) are a class of arthropods ( Arthropoda ) and be filed with the millipedes ( Myriapoda ). Worldwide there are about 10,000 species of animals known so that they represent the largest group of millipedes dar. However, it is assumed that a multiple of the known species exist.
Life of millipedes
Almost all millipedes live in the soil or in the decomposed wood and feed on plant waste, the vast majority living here in the tropics. Very few species are known as predators.
An often be more appropriate representative is the Tüpfeltausendfuß ( Blaniulus guttulatus ). This sets in spring and summer his eggs in small cavities from bottom. The larvae possess at the time of hatching a few body segments. After each stage of development, which ends with a molt, he has more segments. The Tüpfeltausendfuß is fully grown after about one year and fully developed. It is nocturnal, during the day he stays in damp dark hiding places such as leaves and mulch. It feeds primarily on decaying organic matter, he is a welcome guest in any compost pile. Even if he does sometimes through bore holes in various plants unpopular, but it is an important beneficial insect.
Construction of the millipede
Like all members of the Myriapoda drawing the millipede mainly by a uniform structure of the body segments. The most striking and eponymous feature of the group is a fusion of segments (starting from the fourth body segment ) to double segments, whereby each of these Diplosegmente has two pairs of legs. Above all, this group is meant by the term " Millipede ", because it has the most pairs of legs of all groups of myriapods. The maximum number of lies, however, "only" at 350 pairs. The most primitive forms of millipedes ( the Penicillata ), however, only have a maximum of 17 pairs of legs and are very dar. small weichhäutige forms In the derived forms of lime is incorporated for reinforcement in the chitinous.
The strongly curved head of the millipede has very small antennas that are bent down and with special sense organs sense the ground. The animals have on each side of the head eye fields, from simple eyes ( ocelli ) are made, as well as a temporal element ( Tömösvárysches organ ) also on both sides of the head, is also found in the Penicillata sensory hairs ( trichobothria ) on the head. The sharp mandibles of three parts, the mouth is closed by a rear formed by the first maxilla lower lip ( Gnathochilarium ). The second maxilla remains rudimentary and only forms the posterior margin of the lower lip.
The genital opening is located at all millipedes behind the 2nd run leg, the males have two penises complicated built. The Tracheenöffnungen lie just above the leg bases, starting at the third walking leg pair. Many millipedes the group Chilognatha possess defensive glands that contain the Quinazonilone Glomerin and Homoglomerin in the case of Glomerida. Julidae form in their defensive glands benzoquinones, the Polydesmida free cyanide and benzaldehyde. Many species can spray these secretions over several centimeters.
Reproduction and Development
Within the millipede there are original types with indirect as well as more advanced types of direct sperm transfer.
The males of the Penicillata spin a yarn construct on which they place a drop of sperm. With the help of threads signal the females find the web and take the cum on. This form of fertilization is largely similar to the Wenigfüßer.
For all other millipedes, there is a direct mating of females by males. The transmission is carried out by specially trained sperm copulatory developed within the groups in a different way from the extremities. So the representatives of Pentazonia have specifically remodeled Endbeine with which they can hold and copulate the female. The males of the Helminthomorpha have multiple front walking legs (in the range of 7 to 11 running pair of legs ) that have been transformed.
Also parthenogenesis has been demonstrated in many species of millipedes. The eggs the female lays in Erdritzen from or placed them in Erdkämmerchen. The Nematophora surround it with a web and within the Colobgnatha also found brood care. Here, the female and (more rarely) also roll the males around the eggs. From these eggs hatched larva with three pairs of legs, more leg pairs are added in the course of many molts.
Classification of millipedes
The millipede, together with the Wenigfüßern the Dignatha due to the merger of the basal members of the first maxilla to a lower lip ( Gnathochilarium ), the loss of the 2nd maxilla or the rudimentary plant near the same in embryonic development, the genital openings in the second segment, the Tracheenöffnungen of the legs and a young animal with only three pairs of legs.
With the Zwergfüßern the Dignatha form the taxon Progoneata due to the colon and body fat formation within the yolk as well as the structure of the mechanoreceptors ( trichobothria ). This group, the centipedes are compared as a sister group commonly.
Internally, the millipedes are as in the text mentioned in the original Penicillata and divided the derived Chilognatha. Within the Chilognatha there is a further splitting into different taxa. The occurring in Central Europe, representatives of millipedes are as follows classified ( types incomplete):
- Penicillata Pinselfüßer - Polyxenida Pinselfüßer - Polyxenidae Polyxenus lagurus
- Pentazonia Rolltausendfüßer - Glomerida Juice Kugler - Glomeridae Geoglomeris subterranea
- Two rows juice Kugler ( Glomeris pustulata )
- Schrägstreifiger juice Kugler ( Glomeris hexastica )
- Margined juice Kugler ( Glomeris marginata )
- Colorful juice Kugler ( Glomeris conspersa )
- Glomeris undulata
- Glomeridella germanica
- Tachysphaera costata
- Saugfüßer - Polyzoniida Polyzoniidae Polyzonium germanica
- Craspedosomatidae Craspodosoma rawlinsii
- Rhymogona alemannica
- Melogona voigti
- Melogona gallica
- Chordeuma sylvestre
- Mycogona germanica
- Julidae Black Schnurfüßer ( Tachypodoiulus niger)
- Sandschnurfüßer ( Ommatoiulus sabulosus )
- Julus scandinavius
- Julus scanicus
- Pachypodoiulus eurypus
- Ophyiulus pilosus
- Leptoiulus proximus
- Xestoiulus laeticollis
- Unciger foetidus
- Enantiulus nanus
- Allajulus nitidus
- Allajulus groedensis
- Kryphioiulus occultus
- Cylindroiulus zinalensis
- Spotted Schnurfüsser ( Cylindroiulus punctatus )
- Cylindroiulus meinerti
- Cylindroiulus luridus
- Cylindroiulus fulviceps
- Cylindroiulus latestriatus
- Cylindroiulus britannicus
- Cylindroiulus boleti
- Cylindroiulus caeruleocinctus
- Cylindroiulus truncorum
- Megaphyllum unilineatum
- Brachyiulus pusillus
- Blaniulus guttulatus
- Boreoiulus tenius
- Archiboreoiulus pallidus
- Nemasoma varicorne
- Proteroiulus fuscus
- Choneiulus palmatus
- Nopoiulus kochii
- Polydesmidae Brachydesmus superus
- Red-brown Bandfüßer ( Polydesmus angustus )
- Polydesmus complanatus
- Propolydesmus germanicus
- Macrosternodesmus palicola
- Ophiodesmus albonanus
- Oxidus gracilis
- Strongylosoma stigmatosum